Blake Griffin returned to the Clippers' lineup Sunday and nearly recorded a triple-double in Los Angeles' 100-98 loss to the Rockets. The All-Star forward scored 11 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists in his return after missing Houston's last 15 games with a staph infection in his right elbow.

"He said I'm ready," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said before the game Sunday, per ESPN's Arash Markazi. "Yesterday the trainers called me and said, 'If he can go, he can go. He's been cleared.'"

The Clippers stayed afloat during Griffin's absence, going 9-6 without him, but the team is obviously glad to have him back in the lineup for what they hope is the remainder of the season. Perhaps nobody is more excited than point guard Chris Paul.

"Not having Blake has hurt us in a lot of ways," Rivers said, per Markazi. "Teams have been able to trap CP far more than they can when Blake's on the floor because of his ability to pass. I'm sure CP is the happiest of all of them to get him back."

It certainly appeared as if Paul was pleased to have Griffin back on Sunday, as he scored a team-high 23 points in the loss.

With a 42-25 record, the Clippers are tied with the Mavericks for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.